Hi Val. So admire your creativity and energy. Am beginning a home renovation which will be many months to completion, with son Dan and his wife-to-be Alyssa. With my dog Belle, a white boxer by my side, am enjoying retirement in a quiet sort of way.

Finally, my dear, dear friend, full-blown retirement for me. No more up at 6, 8 instead for my 9am daily mass. More time for: playing; catching up with friends who left vivid marks in my yesteryears; paying forward; spreading my blessings; and trying to be a “better version of myself”. More time to enjoy playing back memories through the old, dusty photo albums. More time to savor my third-week indulgence – private massage, candles, music, sweet silence, pathway to dreamland. And now, looking forward to meet my final “Ithaca” – that lovely voyage where I’ll drop my anchor with all the memories of my journeys and adventures I’ve acquired along the way. And yes, this, with my huckleberry friend, my life’s second chance.